Intrinsic antibacterial photopolymerization 3D-printed thermosets from citronellol and cinnamyl alcohol: Synthesis and properties

As concerns about personal health continue to escalate, there is an urgent need to innovate the development and production of photopolymeric 3D printing thermoset materials with inherent antibacterial properties and high elongation, paving the way for significant advances in 3D printing technology. In this work, two acrylate compounds (CMA and CAMA)with inherent antibacterial properties were synthesized using renewable monomers derived from citronellol and cinnamyl alcohol. The chemical structures of the two acrylate compounds were verified via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR) and ¹H NMR. The addition of these compounds to the photopolymeric 3D printing resin system can facilitate the production of 3D printed thermoset materials with inherent antibacterial properties. The mechanical and antibacterial properties of photopolymeric 3D printing thermosets were assessed utilizing tensile tests and oscillation methods. The results show that the addition of CMA and CAMA can significantly improve the fracture elongation and antibacterial performance of photopolymeric 3D printing thermosets. The improved systems exhibited the highest antibacterial rate (94.2 % and 98.9 %, respectively), and fracture productivities (47 % and 50 %, respectively). These results highlight the significant impact of integrating CMA and CAMA to enhance the toughness and antibacterial effects of photopolymeric 3D printing systems.